at 8:20 a.m., the republican from nebraska will talk about the decision by his state's governor to approve rerouting the keystone pieplant brutus state and the economic impact. -- pipeline through his state and the economic impact good morning and welcome to washington journal of this wednesday, january 23. house will vote today on raising the debt ceiling. secretary of state hillary clinton testifies before house and senate committee today about the september terrorist attack in benghazi, libya. republicans are talking about their own priorities and reacting to president obama's inauguration speech. we're like to hear your advice for the president for his second term. here are the numbers to call.

you can also find us online. share your comments over twitter or join the conversation on facebook. you can also e-mail us. we're asking you this morning your advice for the second obama administration. isedobama speech rate stark choices, says the new york times.

we would like to hear from you this morning, what you think republican options are and what your advice is. here's what's happening on capitol hill today. house gop poised to extend the debt limit. that's the headline in "usa today." the bill would buy time and would set the stage for a physical fight. house republicans are scheduled to vote today to extend a $16.40 trillion at the opening salvo in a renewed battle this year to pass a federal budget and reduce the debt. the headline in the washington times, the front page looks like this -- the reporter on that story and joins us now from the "washington times. good morning and thanks for being with us.

guest: thanks for having me. host: when do we expect the vote and why is it significant? guest: because we are fresh off the president's inauguration, it is significant. the fight over the debt ceiling in many ways has defined the last two years as far as spending, because republicans have seen it as a way to leverage some of the spending cuts and long-term deficit reduction plans but would like to see democrats eventually accept. today we will have a vote on whether or not to extend the nation's borrowing limit, how much money you can put on the credit card. the way they see it is house republicans want the senate to finally vote on a full budget of their own. it is something the senate has not done for many years. it is seen as a way for harry reid to have the kind of more

vulnerable lawmakers on capitol hill from taking some tough votes. anytime you vote on a full budget, there's a lot of stuff in there, so there's a lot of stuff that people can come after you with. kind of the backdrop here is that house speaker john boehner has had some hiccups or headaches lately. it started late last year when house republicans struggled over how to deal with the george w. bush tax cuts. the house wanted them all extended for everybody. democrats are never on board. president obama was never going to be on board with the idea. so john boehner struggled in that situation, even coming up with an alternative plan for extending tax breaks for anyone making less than $1 million a year. he had to pull from the courthouse. so that was. a was. the next day, he also -- not the

next day. excuse me, on january 1, they came back and finally agreed to raise tax rates for those incomes of people making $400,000 a year. that was a tough bill and proposal for him to put forward to, just because taxes went up at the end of the day. the next day he came back and decided to not have a vote on the sandy relief package. that made house lawmakers angry in the northeast. governor chris christie of new jersey also had some tough words for him. he pulled the proposal because conservative republicans said the bill was loaded with pork with projects not related to the storm and they should've gone through the normal appropriations process. a couple days later, he narrowly hung onto his speakership as 10

republicans did not vote for him. now -- and right after that, they ended up passing a hurricane sandy bill. even that only received 49 republican votes. all that as a backdrop, house leaders last week went to williamsburg to figure out the task force on the debt ceiling on the across-the-board spending cuts known as the sequester, coming up. also, at the end of march, we have the continuing resolution, because the senate has not passed a full budget and the two chamber is not agree to a budget, but they have been working off a continuing resolution which funds the government for certain amount of time. it will end on march 27. house leaders tried to put

forward or sketched out a game plan for how they would handle things going forward. the first step in all this is the vote today on a short-term debt limit extension. host: seth, you mentioned the republican retreat last week and on conversations with conservatives, an event on capitol hill yesterday. what kind of dissent did you hear from conservative republicans on the debt ceiling vote? guest: they want to make sure that they get some sort of deficit reduction out of this. i think it makes them a little nervous. this is what many will referred to as a clean vote on the debt ceiling, if they're not a lot of strings attached. they would like to see more deficit reduction. i think they are a little weary that leadership will follow through on their promises. so it is within that vein.

i guess i would say that conservative lawmakers, at least the most conservative, wants to be cautiously optimistic that house leaders might follow through with this, but in some cases it still is not enough to get them to vote for the debt ceiling increase. host: seth, thanks for joining us. guest: thank you. host: we will be watching that vote today. our question is what is your advice to republicans as they enter the second obama administration. first let's look at a time line in the washington post. what the vote sets the stage for.

unless congress acts, they will hit the debt limit in its very to late february according to estimates by groups like the bipartisan policy center. william is on our democratic line in texas. what is your advice to republicans? caller: to extend the national data for five years and stop playing party games with the country. if it goes bankrupt, the money overseas, my money, i'm not getting any interest on my money now. it,it's a bankrupt

everybody goes,-- the banks, our country, and the world. and we will be back living on the streets like people do in india and in china. that is liberty and freedom, but we don't do that in america. host: that is the democratic perspective. now let's go to a republican in california. caller: good morning, libya. -- libby. that guy is intelligent. i would tell the gop to get the real estate market back on track. i watched a 60 minutes show on how devastated florida was when the shuttle program was taken away and obama support that was not point to happen. it brings tears to your eyes that people are paying their last few dollars into an underwater mortgage. the real estate market has to come back. it is coming back slowly here in

california, but i think they need to put on a piece of paper if you talking points that will get the country back moving again and it has to do with imports and it has to do with real estate, inflation, and no more squabbling. i would love to see obama turned around and just be a completely different guy. i am a republican, kind of middle-of-the-road guy, but i would love to get behind the guy. it would be so refreshing. host: banks. on facebook -- paul in massachusetts, independent. caller: good morning. thanks for c-span. host: you are on the air.

caller: you are asking what you think the republicans should do. i think they should stop lying and the demagogy and, just like the democrats do all the time. they lie about everything and demagogue and the news media let them get away with it. so they should stop doing it, the same thing. host: on twitter -- let's listen to what house majority leader eric cantor, republican of virginia, said last night. these are comments on the budget and the debt ceiling vote. [video clip] >> as the speaker said, our conference will look to vote on a measure tomorrow that will temporarily extend the debt ceiling so that we can see the senate actually begin to do its job. for several years now, i think

about four, the senate has not passed a budget. all we're saying is, if the president and the senate, if this country needs to incur more debt, senate, please show us your plan to repay that debt. please show us your plan to control spending. it's about time that we come together, do our work. american people expect no less. in thewhy we will insist house on a budget, no pay, going forward. host: majority leader eric cantor of the house, speaking yesterday evening. what's your advice to republicans for the second obama administration? john in atlanta, georgia, democrat. caller: how are you? my advice is in the form of this. that the congress in both

houses, the senate and the house, work and serve at the pleasure of the american people. my advice is do what is best for the american people. pay your? -- pay your debts. pay what you are supposed to pay and stop holding up the debt ceiling and holding it over. you think you are holding it head, but they are holding it over the american people's head. my advice is let's get the show on the road this year. no extensions. let's make a clean breast of it. host: there's a story in the baltimore sun this morning on raising the debt limit.

here is an image of a democrat of vermont saying the debt ceiling is being used as an economic weapon of mass destruction. what is your advice to republicans? our next caller is rorie in erie, pennsylvania, republican. caller: my advice is to stop using our entitlement for immigration purposes. that seems to be ignored repeatedly, that we keep giving our entitlements to anchor babies and their families. that is in the millions and trillions of dollars that should be in our pockets. it is taken away from us. i just finished my master's

thesis on this. the money we are giving to people who have never paid into our system is in the trillions of dollars. i am absolutely sickens over it. that's where a lot of our money is going. host: here's what reince priebus has to say on the commentary pages of the washington times this morning. and here's what the chairman says --

carl in salt lake city, independent line. good morning. caller: my best advice would have to be quit being standoffish, let's come together and get a compromise. even if you don't agree on section e, eliminate that. we need to get together. pixar country. it does not matter if you are republican, independent, democrat, or tea party, you'll still have to live here after the country falls apart if we cannot get together and make decisions. -- fix the country. now it's time to get together and actually find something that works. host: al as a commentary piece in the washington times. he's the chairman of the american conservative union and a former two-time chairman of

the republican party of florida. he says -- tony in fort worth, texas, democratic line. caller: good morning. i think the republican party, speaker john boehner in particular, should get away from the rule is trying to use. a party is so splintered that they cannot get a majority. when bills come to the house, it should be an up-or-down vote.

that gives the gop nod a very bad name. that's why their approval rating is so low, because they cannot get anything through the tea party and the middle-of-the-road republicans. so they should put everything on. host: let's hear from speaker boehner at a press conference last night. [video clip] >> a lot of priorities for the congress and for the president. right now the biggest issue is the debt that is crushing the future for our kids. and kids hard-working taxpayers understand you cannot keep spending money that you don't have. we will continue to focus especially over the next 120 days on bringing fiscal responsibility to washington. host: that was speaker john boehner speaking at a press conference yesterday. use of the hashtag no pay, no

vote. the bill that house republicans have put forward, the legislation expected to reach the house floor today would -- looking deeper into what this goes on to do, we will talk more about that this morning, the idea of no pay unless congress is able to move forward. where asking your advice for republicans during the second obama term. here's what john says.

dave in lancaster, ohio, on our republican line. caller: good morning. i am republican. i want to encourage the party to really stand strong and hold their resolve to find a path to balance the budget. they talk about tax increases on the top 1% and tax breaks for the different class as. any more, it seems to me, that we do not have an upper, middle, or lower class. we have the haves and have-nots. we need to move in the direction, starting with the budget, to close the gap and

bring back the middle class. host: can give us more specifics about what that would mean to you? what would congress do? caller: i would say, first, the debt ceiling there were talking about passing, i think it's a good time, a good thing for the short term. but what is stopping them from in may saying we need three more months and just kicking the can down the road? there has to be some consequences for republicans and democrats to actually say you've got to do this by a certain time or you don't have any more money to spend, so you don't get a raise. something has to be done to snap

some reality back into congress. right now our grandchildren will end up paying our debt. that is pretty sad. i never thought there would be a day that i would say that. unfortunately, it is here. host: here's more information about the debt ceiling vote today in the house. freddie joins us now from missouri on our independent line. caller: hello.

i think the congress has just gotten away from us. this country is we the people. the people don't have any say about anything. congress is the only one. they keep raising their salaries. and the people out here, money wise, we are going downhill. they keep raising taxes. nobody can really do much. i think congress -- everybody up there ought to just take one year's salary away from them and let them learn to live one year and cut down on things and put that money toward our debt. i mean, this country is supposed

to be for the people. it is not. we really don't elect the president no more. the electoral votes do. we don't have any say. we are the ones that just keep paying. we are paying more and more and more taxes all the time. so there's always some reason they've got to have more money. why don't they take some money out of their pockets for one year? let them learn to live like we do. they all live way above their means. does not take a half million dollars or zero million dollars a year to live.- -- it does not take a half

million dollars or $1 million a year to live. host: we have members of congress coming in this morning and we will throw out your proposal to them to see what they think. on twitter -- here's a headline in the washington post. let's hear or twice house secretary jay carney hata said. [video clip] >> the bill still has to overcome concerns expressed by members of the house and senate before it can pass both chambers and reached the president's desk. if it does and it reaches his desk, he will not stand in the way of the bill becoming law. broadly speaking, i will point to what i said, which is the president's position is we have to remove these damaging fights over fulfilling our obligations to pare bills from the process -- we have to remove them

entirely, because they are not helpful to our economic growth or the middle class and they create terrible uncertainty for businesses. we can continue to engage and we will with members of congress over the need to produce our deficit in a balanced way. the president has put forward plans that demonstrate the fact that he's willing to compromise, and is willing to meet republicans halfway on these issues and he will continue to do that. but the debt ceiling needs to not be part of that, because it is terrible for the economy and seems to be bad politics. host: white house press secretary jay carney. let's hear purcellville in broken arrow, oklahoma, republican. what is your advice to republicans for the second obama administration? caller: i love c-span and i am so glad that you have this live call-in talk show from individuals all over the world.

my question is, to the republicans, i know that you heard in the inaugural speech to the word "to gather." we have to come together. together we stand as we the people. i know and hope that our president of the united states, president obama, is hearing our voices this morning being back in the white house for and other four years. i am a military mom. i want to say this to the republicans. please work with our president of the united states. he is the general in chief for all of us. is gettingely on who more. we can ask. we can write letters. we can twitter and all the settings. but we have to come together. he is the one we voted for.

as we let's work together the people. that is my answer to the republicans. host: ok, sylvia. on twitter -- look at some other stories in the news. this is from the houston chronicle, which we get courtesy of the newseum. a shooting close as a local campus.

that's the houston chronicle. here in washington, general allen was cleared of misconduct. and e-mail found during betray its inquiry -- during the general petraeus's inquiry involved general allen. whether he exchanged inappropriate e-mails with the same quarter socialite's that prompted david petraeus to resign as cia director. that is general john allen. the fbi uncovered messages from the marine general during its investigation of david petraeus last year. he has been cleared. allegations of professional misconduct were not substantiated by the investigation. the secretary news from the obama

administration. the u.s. representative -- u.s. trade representative ron kirk will leave the administration by the end of february. the white house confirmed this. his departure was widely expected after he said last year he was planning to leave and return to his native texas. asked representative, he was responsible for developing and recommending american trade policy to the president. other headlines, this from israel. prime minister benjamin netanyahu wins, but it takes a big hit. israel was thrown into political chaos in iraq after and his party suffered a setback in the nation's first elected in four years, but his party did win. he does retain his position. that's the doorpost. another international story. russia is ready with talks --

for talks with syrian opposition. russia said yesterday it is preparing to enter into discussions with syrian opposition groups as moscow evacuated more than 80 russian citizens from syria. tore asking your device republicans for a second obama term. what do you think they should do? a say inat sam rockville, maryland, on our independent line. caller: i like the idea of the republicans saying there should be no pay if they don't actually pass a budget. one of the difficulties has to do with the 27th amendment, changes in their pay. the penalty for them should be a little bit simpler. that would be to suggest their federal income tax should be doubled if they don't. pastor don't that way it does not play around with the 27 commandments and still penalizes them if they cannot do the work they are supposed to do.

host: let's go to and the democratic line in columbus, ohio with pam. caller: i was thinking more that the republicans ought to watch themselves. we will be watching the republicans a lot more this year. what they did in 2010, i don't think we will give them a chance to do that anymore. it cannot just be the republicans going to the polls on the off election. also, the republicans seem to have redrawn all these maps in all the states so they could just circle themselves in where they could keep winning. that is something else i want to concentrate on this year. any. -- already in mississippi they are trying to steal the votes. trying to change the electoral votes. if you don't have a plan you can

talk to the community about, is not going to fly with the community. if you cannot pull that off, you will not steal the election. that's what i want the republican party to pay attention to. you will walk in 2014. they have to play fair. it has to be a fair election. that's one of the biggest things that aggravates me about the republican party. they know they cannot win, so they feel they will steal the votes. that just will not happen. thank you. host: on facebook --

matt in maryland, in the penn line. caller: hi. one thing i want to say is i'm independent, leaning democrat some white. i do like obama. i just think if he submitted a budget that did not pass, it's his party. instead of them saying no budget was submitted, resubmit the budget, make the changes that need to be changed for his party to agree on something. then go back and forth with its. i don't understand why we reelected the leaders that were in the house and in the senate. that is not going to change anything. it will make things worse than it was. i hope that obama becomes more involved in the. house and the. make appearances there. -- i hope that obama becomes

more involved in the house and senate. they are in session for the next 90 days or 120 days. they need to be in session all year round. people work without taking these breaks. the need to keep doing it and get to work can figure it out until it is figured out. i also do like the fact that of holding their pay. that should go for democrats and republicans if things cannot get done. host: here's what donna says on twitter -- rodney in columbus, ohio, democratic line. caller: good morning. my advice is for the gop to just realize their job is temporary,

also. the same things have been going on, obstruction, of all the different bills and legislation being drawn up by democrats has been obstructed. that is not to anybody's benefit. i feel, once they realize that they work for the people and need to listen to the people, they will realize what they're doing is hurting us. they're not entitled to be where they are. somebody actually elected them. once the people stand up, they will see what happens in the next year or two as far as the election goes. i believe they will get the point. host: on facebook -- that's on our facebook page. a couple other stories. looking at republican positions

right now. "usa today" has this headline -- we also see a reaction to the president's comments about gun control issues earlier this week. the executive director of the national rifle association wayne lapierre and angrily accused president obama yesterday of demonizing law-abiding gun owners and wanting to put every private personal firearms transactions under the thumb of the federal government, he says. jeffrey in seattle, democratic line. caller: how are you? i was calling to voice my opinion about the gop. president obama has already thrown down the gauntlet. so they have their work cut out

for them. i wish them the best. host: would you like to see republicans work with democrats? caller: yes, of course. host: in the house? caller: it takes both sides. both democrats and republicans to compromise. people just cannot yell across the rotunda all the time. host: are there particular issues you want to see them focus on first? caller: yes, the debt ceiling, the deficit, of course. our military is ransacked. poor people -- are veterans need help when they get back. i'm a veteran, myself. host: thanks so much. let's go to hunter calling us

from georgia, a republican. caller: hello. banks cannot issue unlimited credit cards to the average american family. i don't believe we should issue an unlimited credit card carnations government. it's time they act responsibly with spending. host: what you think about working across party lines with the president? caller: it seems to me the president does not want to hold themselves accountable to such things. he just wants to spend. he has no intention of spending within our budget. of theet's turn to one events happening on capitol hill today. two hearings involving secretary of state hillary clinton. the headline in the washington post --

and in the hill -- joining us is a reporter from the the hill newspaper, julian. guest: thanks for having me. host: the we have a preview of what we expect to hear today? guest: the state department yesterday at their regular briefing laid out what the secretary was going to focus on. she will focus on the progress that has been made. there was and accountability review board, a bipartisan independent panel that looked at the attacks. last month it came out with 29 recommendations. some of them are classified. as secretary is expected to say that she's moving full speed ahead with those recommendations. so that will be how she frames the argument as we learned our lessons and are moving fort. host: your headline focuses on how the gop critics will have a chance to have interfaced with secretary clinton.

what might we hear from them? guest: this is the last chance the secretary will testify before congress before the house and senate both. her likely replacement senator john kerry, it is his nomination hearing tomorrow. the republicans have questions about what the state apartment -- department knew, why were warnings ignored? especially after the recent events in mali intervene and where we were backing them. and in algeria where three more americans at least have been killed. all these things are related. terrorists in algeria were using weapons from libya. all these things are related and the republicans certainly want to use this hearing to make the case that may be the obama administration and hillary clinton and others overstated the fact that al qaeda was on

the run. host: secretary clinton will go before the senate foreign relations committee and 9:00 and then the house committee at 2:00 today. do we expect her to have a tougher time in either of those committee hearings? guest: the interesting thing here is both the house and the senate panels have new leadership. on the republican and democratic sides. there are four new leaders on both panels. this will be a chance for them to show what they're made of and to seven newtown. senator john mccain is on the senate foreign relations panel now. so is senator rand paul. on the senate side we may have some more pointed questions, but we will have to see. on the house side, they say they want to have more bipartisan attitude towards hearings. it is hard to tell at this point. there's a lot of new blood.

this is their first chance, a big public opportunity to show where they are headed. so it is hardr -- to tell. probably the senate will have more pointed questions. host: give us a hint of something you will be watching for today. is there anything secretary clinton could do to damage your future politically? anything the republicans could do that might signify how confirmation hearings could go in the next couple weeks for secretary of state? guest: a few lawmakers, and the gramm in particular, have said that they had wanted to hear her testify before taking action on senator john kerry. -- lindsey graham in particular has said. the fallout from benghazi is

already happened, to a large extent. president obama's first choice to be secretary of state, susan rice, had to give up after a barrage of attacks after she went on television to say that the attack was related to a peaceful protest gone awry. that leaves senator john kerry. for the most part, the republicans have already scored a political victory by defeating susan rice. one thing that could be interesting, we will see what she says about the investigation, but it is not expected to save very much, because the fbi has a lead on that. there's been a lot of criticism about the fact nobody is been arrested. the attack happened more than four months ago. what has happened since then? it's one thing to say lessons have been learned, but there does not seem to be a lot of progress made in terms of getting the perpetrators to justice.

the other angle that could also hurt secretary clinton should she decide to run in 2016 is the fact nobody seems to have been fired over this. there were reports last month, suggestions that four people had been let go. we find out now they are on administrative leave and are still working at the state department. that rankles republicans. chairman royce has told me his committee is upset about that and that could hurt clinton. host: thank you. on twitter -- the answer is yes. that's 9:00 on c-span3, the senate foreign relations committee today. the house foreign affairs committee will tackle this issue, also, at 2:00 today,

also on c-span3. find out more informational our website, c-span.org. we're talking about your advice to republicans for the second obama term. gina is our next caller in birmingham, alabama, independent. caller: this is the problem. the gop pose a problem and the problem.s' the democratic party is a fascist party now. you take each department and break down the budget. personnel, operating budgets. and go through every little program to pay for it. grant everything. you cut out the grants. cut out the public service announcements. look at their payroll and see how much they're making.

then you get in line with everybody else in america. make each department give you a budget. then cut junk out line by line. there's a jump in all of them. -- junk. host: steve says -- danielle is up next in illinois, democrat. -- daniel. caller: good morning. house republicans are talking about cutting out money and holding up salaries and spending and crying but the country is broke. we know that we live in one of the richest nations on earth. and our president obama knows that wealth is a result of the

common wealth. i hope the republicans don't think the democrats are playing checkers with them. if the republicans don't wake up and listen to the will of the people, at least by 2016 it will be checkmate. they will lose everything. host: on facebook -- david in florida, republican.

caller: thanks for taking my call. the president and both houses should now be setting an example of good housekeeping. no same family spends more than they earn. everyone i know says the government is out of control. thank you. his advice to the republicans as they face president obama's second term. we will hear from republican later this morning, a member of the house of representatives from nebraska, congressman terry, and a little while. first, congressman steven horsford, a democratic freshman from nevada. he is up next. we will be right back. ♪ ♪

[video clip] >> 3 meters. ok, stand by. >> contact. >> glad to see you. >> it's hard to realize now 25 years after apollo-soyuz what the climate was like back then. in a way, after the years of khrushchev and stalin and

communism, the lectern with his shoe and all that, the soviets were very foreign to us. after some of the things that happened, we thought they were pretty aggressive people -- and i will not say monsters, but they probably thought we were monsters. so we very quickly broke through that, because when you deal with people that are in the same line of work as you are and you are around them for a short time, you discover that they are human beings. >> this weekend on american history tv, oral history, on the 1975 meeting in space between u.s. astronauts and soviet cosmonauts, sunday at 3:00 p.m. eastern on c-span3. [video clip] >> from the very start,

organized militaries have always spent a lot of their time fighting unconventional, a regular warfare. those terms don't make a lot of sense. that's one of the big takeaways i had from doing six years of reading and research for this book. the way we think about this entire subject is all mr.. -- all messed up. somehow we think we should have conventional armies slugging it out in the open. the reality is that has always been the exception. when you think about the modern world, what was the last conventional war that we saw? it was the russian invasion of georgia in 2008, which did not last long. all over the world today people are dying in war. many countries. all these people are victims. they're being ravaged by an unconventional warfare.

>> this weekend, best-selling author and military historian max boot on the history of guerrilla warfare, saturday at 7:00 p.m. eastern time on c- span2. "washington journal" continues. . host: congressman steven horsford is our guest, a democrat representing nevada's fourth district, a freshman. welcome. guest: thank you. host: you are the first african american from nevada to be part. of the part guest: like a lot of my colleagues, this is a historic congress. in our democratic caucus there are 56% of our caucus that is now made up of individuals who are people of color and women and individuals from the lgbt community. we reflect america. i'm honored and privileged to be part of this historic class that has come to washington at a very difficult time. there are many challenges facing our country. there is a toxic politic

happening on capitol hill. but the american people are fed up with it. what does to work together to move our country for. i'm looking for to doing that. host: how do you elevate the conversation and what advice have you sought from members of congress who came in with the same perspective, but who have been your longer? guest: the new congress is excited about the opportunity to work together. many of us serve in the state legislature before, as i did. i have worked with republican governors to pass balanced budget while protecting of education and vital health care programs. it's really the same principled debate that's happening here, how to balance the budget but do it in ways that are responsible and that protect the middle class, that protect medicare and social security, but also reached across the aisle and do it in ways that are constructive and that allowance to reach compromise together. host: you mentioned your service in the state legislature in

nevada. why come to washington? what can you do differently than you can back home? guest: our legislature in nevada is a citizens legislature. we met every other year. in addition to being a legislator, i work full time. i'm husband and father of three. this gives me an opportunity to serve my constituents 100% of the time. extremely humbling and honoring experience to be here. host: the debt ceiling vote, scheduled to see that happen today. how do you plan to vote? and once your opinion? guest: we really need a longer- term policy that allows greater certainty particularly to the business community that we are not want to decide every three months whether or not we can afford to pay our bills. it is something we are obligated to do and we need. to do it on a need based on where things are right now and the proposal that is before us to extend it another three months, it is something i

probably will vote for today. host: you mentioned bipartisanship. when contact have you had? with freshmen had have you been able to get to know any of them and do you hope to forge alliances across the aisle? guest: absolutely. we did have our new members retreat. we got to bring our spouses and our children and connect with our colleagues from the other side. there are number of them. we'll talk about cosponsoring legislation on ways to get our economy moving and create jobs. so i look forward to working with all of our colleagues, because we really do have to come together for the good of our nation. host: representative steven horsford from nevada, represents the fourth district. he's on the natural resources homeland security, and oversight and government reform committee. let's go to the phones to hear from nancy joining us from georgia on our independent line. caller: how are you? well, i have some issues on the

health care and some things i have been hearing from -- within the companies that the health care comes in and then they will cut our hours to compensate for this. some of the company's need to step up and realized that us middle class people are the ones that bring them their jobs and keep their companies running. i feel sometimes we are left out. on the gun issue, if we have more mental hospitals back in georgia -- we had some and they took them out and we don't have jobs here. in this little town of bainbridge, we don't have a lot and it is diminishing slowly and slowly. we need a lot more jobs for people. that would keep people out of trouble with guns. no jobs, so they will go crazy anyway.

so we need more jobs in this united states. it seems like we're going overseas with our businesses instead of bringing them back into the united states. we need them in our country. host: let's go to. the congressman guest: regarding health care, i completely agree. the hardship and the burden should not be on middle-class workers who are whoto survive. that is why i support the affordable care act. i think we have to implement it in ways that ensure that it is an incentive to business. there are a number of incentives for small business around tax breaks and providing health care to their employees as well as to the large corporations. your point of it is those in the middle class and need help care to survive and the employers need to do their part is something i agree with. on your second point, job

creation is really my number one priority. coming from a state like nevada where unemployment is higher than the national average, we are seeingwe are seeing progress not good enough. i will not be satisfied until everybody who wants a job, gets a job. prior to coming to congress i ran an unemployment and training non-profit agency that trained for careers in the hospitality industry in las vegas. it is the kind of sector partnership, working with labor, the private sector, and community that we need to get people back to work. that will be my number one priority in congress. host: a recent headline says " good by medicare." of the fiscal cliff deal dangers -- endangers u.s. entitlements. medicare, medicaid, food stamps,

and even social security. do you have concerns entitlements are on the table and what is your stance, keeping them the way they are a changing them? guest: when i talk about entitlements i'd like to talk about all forms of entitlements, as well as corporate entitlements. the federal government is backed with dollars of corporate entitlements to major corporations in industries. so, before we look at cutting benefits to seniors who paid into medicare and social security -- i agree, other types of income amounts like corporate entitlements should be looked at and considered for reduction or even elimination. look, it is not the senior in my district who gets $1,000 check from social security that is the problem. they are not the ones contributing to this federal deficit. they paid into the system. we made a promise to them. this is the retirement they need. it is not very much in order for

them to pay their rent, their power or bills, to buy food or medications that they need. so, we need to have a balanced discussion. i do not think we need to balance the federal budget by taking away benefits to our parents and grandparents who paid into it and deserve them. host: let's hear from eric in georgia. democrats' line. welcome. caller: thanks for having me. thank you for taking my call. representative -- i would like for you to talk about the fact that our treasury bonds are going at 0% interest. our treasury bonds are at 0% interest. that means the federal reserve printed $20 trillion in the past few years and even probably even more and gave it to the banks at 0% money. the bond owners are paying 0% interest -- but debt of the

deficit are big. they cannot possibly think it was big because instead of getting 0% it would be 10%, 20%, 30% of the money that are giving to the government. $20 trillion later from the federal reserve and the market says we will accept 0% interest from you, the federal government. they see our federal government as a base safest place for the market, bond holders,. host: let's get the congressman to respond to that. guest: the fact that there is 0% interest is actually an issue that affects individuals in the middle class and those who are striving to get into the middle class. this is a policy that really helps those who are investors and those who are at the upper income levels who have the disposable income to make investment and to do it with

very little interest. so, this is an area that has to be explored. and it is about getting our federal budget under control. i agree, we need to reduce spending, but we need to do it in ways that are responsible. host: sandy beach on twitter touches on what we talked about earlier. asking about exchanging its common reform as part of raising the debt ceiling. guest: no. host: let's go to stock in texas, republican caller. caller: good morning. thank you very much. i think there should be two priorities for this congress. the first one being a balanced approach to deficit reduction and reduction of the national debt. i do think we have to take a sober look at ourselves from a generational standpoint. i know we don't want to cut entitlements for people who are relying on them. on the other hand, i think we should balance the approach with

the fact that the very generations -- the last two and the one we are in, including mine, have caused the problem. there is going to have to be a little bit of pain and suffering across the board if we are going to achieve a goal of sustainability. the other issue -- congressman, and i appreciate any help you can give us -- is immigration. in texas, it is quite evident we have a lot of people who are in the country illegally but are good people who worked jobs for years and have not been any trouble and just want to stay here. i would like to see this congress attack this issue. something similar to mccain- kennedy bill without the problems that the bill had. a path to green card with work visas for those deemed eligible and no risk to the country. guest: thank you. let me take the second part first. i support a comprehensive immigration reform legislation. it is time for this congress and

the 113th session to active pass the legislation. the president has made it a top priority. it is the right thing to do. in my view, this is a human rights issue of our times. like the civil rights issues of the 1960's. like the women's rights issues before it. it is of a fair and right thing to do is to pass comprehensive immigration reform, that provides a pathway to citizenship for individuals who are here, while also helping young people who were brought here at no fault of their own to be able to complete high school, going to college, serve in the military, and know that they can live and our country without fear of deportation. known as the dream act. and so, those are things that are very important to me. i know you said you are from texas. it is a very important issue. i will be serving on the homeland security committee and that committee has partial

jurisdiction over immigration issues, particularly those pertaining to border security, ice, and customs, so we look forward to tackling that an upcoming session. host: representing nevada's fourth district as a democrat. tell us about the district it encompasses. guest: the nevada fourth district is the newest seat that we learned after redistricting. it covers seven counties. 52,000 square miles. it is as big as the state of alabama, if you can believe that. i am from las vegas. i live in las vegas. but my district covers seven counties. we have everything from high up and shoshone tribes. we have air force bases as well as the hawthorne army depot. we have mining in the northeast and agriculture in the northwest. we have area 51 and yet the

mountain in congressional district four, as well as the urban part of clark county, las vegas, which is a very diverse district -- we have very 51 and yucca now dead. i am representing a you need district because of the combined rural and urban interest. it is one of the district's people are talking about and this redistricting. the court approved our maps and nevada for congress. so, this is a very even balanced district. so, i have to represent all the constituents in every corner. host: the congressmen mentioned he is sitting on a homeland security committee and also on oversight and government reform and natural resources. the headline in "the washington post" says president obama is making a moral case on the issue of climate. do you see energy issues, climate issues, being tackled in this next congress? a realistic goal?

guest: energy policy broadly absolutely has to be part of the discussion. climate change -- after the severe storms with sandy recently and other harbour tragedies, i think the science is definitely confirming the fact that climate change exists and that we have to do things more responsible about it. my focus is on renewable energy. we don't have oil companies in nevada, but what we do have is an abundance of wind, solar, and geothermal. and i believe that those are alternatives that should be part of our overall energy mix to make us less reliance on fossil fuels and more energy independent in the long term. host: philadelphia, pennsylvania. our next caller is richard, independent line. caller: how are you doing? how are you doing, congressman? the question -- a couple of thoughts. i am interested in what puc is the area that productivity will

occur. as far as when you talk about job creation and you coming from nevada, looking at the hospitality industry. specific to your state and locale. but talking about the nation as a whole, where do you see these jobs? which raises the question -- in your district, what is the ismale of -- what is the black male unemployment rate. it seems it is very high in a lot of districts and a lot of states. the other question, coming to this year -- the battle of dealing with the budget. the question of, what plans have you heard that you have identified with as a new freshmen coming in to actually give voice to or get your political clout to? a lot of different plans that it deals with the -- i am interested in hearing as you are

coming in as a new person and this new coalition of freshmen that you are bringing to the table as far as a mixture of one or when you are more favorable to than the other, what plan to deal with the debt? thank you. guest: thank you. to focus on the first point, broader economic development and job creation is my focus. while i come from nevada -- and, yes, we are the entertainment capital of the world in las vegas and want to stay that way -- we actually have a big emphasis on diversify nevada's economy. i actually worked with our republican governor last session to create new economic development strategies to bring biotech, information technology and, manufacturing, health sciences, to the state of nevada by attracting major industries. but it starts with making sure that we have a trained and educated work force that has the skills for those new industries of the 21st century that we want to bring.

that is not just in nevada but across every state and community in this country. regarding the african-american unemployment involving males -- you are right. typically the unemployment rate among african-american males and latinos is twice that of the national average. that is why we have to have strategic investments to get people back to work right now. that is why i support investment in highways, helping to rebuild some of our crumbling schools the what the country. these are things that can help people -- put people back to work right now while training people for the jobs of the future. lastly, on your question regarding what is the magic plan out there on how to solve the debt -- i don't think there is one. i think it is going to take all of us working together with the president to come up with the balanced approach. no one person, i think, has the answer. and it is going to require all of us coming to the table, debating these issues in ways

that keep the people of this country at the forefront and coming up with the best answer possible to move our country forward. host: on twitter -- as you were ben wants to know how the housing industry is doing in nevada. guest: nevada lead the nation in the house of foreclosure and my -- was bump worst hit. the city of north las vegas we have the highest rate of home foreclosures in the country for some time. now, good news, our home values are beginning to creep back up. there is a report out this week that said home values will continue to increase in 2013. but the problem right now is those who bought their homes who did not lose them to foreclosure, nearly 60 percent of them in southern nevada are underwater. meaning they owe more in their mortgage than what the home is worth. that is why we need congress to

act to make the provisions on the short sell income not counted for irs purposes. we need to extend that provision in federal law. and we need to have a stronger relief package for homeowners. we bailed out of the big banks. they got what they need it. but we did not help the homeowners who were struggling in those underwater homes. we pass legislation in nevada requiring mandatory mediation, requiring bankers to meet with homeowners to try to work out terms. we pass legislation again basically saying banks could not foreclosed unless they can prove they own title of the land and had their people worked in place. and that helped, but it is still not providing the relief that many homeowners who are on the water really need. host: congressman steven horsford is our guest, representing about a's fourth

district as a democrat. he is a freshman just sworn in. he faced a tough election battle in which he beat republican -- by eight points. he is the first african-american to serve in nevada boxing federal delegation there his background includes time as the ceo of the culinary academy of las vegas and served on the nevada state senate. first elected back in 2004 and rose to become senate majority leader and nevada's youngest and first african-american leader in that position. attended the university of nevada, reno. tell us about your background and what in your up -- but bringing and experience as in nevada and inspired you to run for congress and also give you credibility in washington? guest: i am a poor kid who was born in las vegas, north las vegas. i was raised by a single parent. i lost my father to a gunshot at an early age and had to be the

head of my household. i have three younger siblings, all of whom have made it to college. they are in college now. i have been very blessed and very fortunate to have had the opportunities i have been afforded. but for many people in my community who have backgrounds similar to mine, they are struggling. and i understand that, because i have been there. i understand what it means to not be able to afford to pay the rent some months or to go without health care when a kid is 6. that is what is wrong with washington right now. it is broken. i think there are far too many people here who are disconnected from the needs in our community, and we need more people here in washington who get what it is to struggle. and you are not just going to be handed everything. you got to work for it. but you also need your community

and your government to be there. not to give a hand out but to give a hand up. that is what i believe in, and that is what i am here today. host: representative steven horsford. our next call caller is from florida. james is a democrat. bamako i would just like to say congress needs to get our act together. i feel if they cannot come together before hand, they need to be fired. because anybody else working on a regular job -- if you can't do your job, they get rid of you. what is wrong with congress? congress is so divided. i don't think the american people put them in office to just sit up there to do nothing. they need to come together and act and stop all of this bickering. that is what it is. work with what you got. but put politics aside and made the decisions for the american people.

i mean, it is going on and on and on and we have to just go -- fellow democrats and republicans -- work together. get the job done and get it just -- get it done for what we elected. not with politics. guest: i agree. every two years in congress, the house of representatives, the voters do get to decide whether there representative is retained. that is what i believe. my voters hired me to do a job in congressional district 4, and i am there to represent their interests, not any other special interests. i believe the message in this last election was loud and clear, that it is time to get to work, to put the interest of the country first and to put the party second to and to do what is necessary to create jobs to move us forward and to balance

our budget responsibly. and i believe this new congress is focused on doing just that. host: another florida and on the line. mark from odessa. republican. caller:hi. congressman, i've got to asked .- i've got to ask of course, your district is as big in alabama -- there is nothing in the bat exit las vegas and reno. i am sorry, sir. that is a joke. will you -- will you work with the other side? i am a middle of the road republican. i am not a hard-liner. i vote both sides of the party -- or bring both sides of the ticket. and honestly, sir, what i saw the last four years, not just

from mr. obama but from washington as a whole was a deterioration of my civil rights. a good example is the health care reform act. it did nothing for me to accept cause -- cost me more for my insurance and now they cover even less. my big question is, how does that help me? i am -- my wife lost her job. i am doing the job i used to do way back when. my wife has been unemployed for a while now and just got so frustrated she gave up looking. so, you know, i know i'm not being very articulate what my question but it is one of those -- i just get very frustrated

and confused with what goes on and what i see. everybody says, well, they got to work together. the democrats blame the republicans, the republicans blamed the democrats and everybody says gimme gimme and the other side of my question is -- ok, everybody wants something so where does the money come from? host: you brought up a lot of issues. let's go to congressman horsford. guest: what i hear from you is what i hear from a lot of my constituents back home in nevada. they don't want to be used as pawns in a game here in washington. how many americans feel. i understand your frustration and the frustration of your wife. not being able to find employment are the type of in plummet you want. you want to know you're elected leaders are focused on the coming up with real solutions to get you back to work. and for those who have been out

of work longer, it is going to be more important that we help you develop that type of skills you need for the new jobs of the future and to help you transferred those skills that you have into employment. and it is about taking the rhetoric out of it. look, during campaigns, everybody fights on both sides of the aisle to win. but after you win or lose, you need to come together and govern. and that is what i believe the american people said in this last election. we reelected the president for another four years. there is a larger majority of democrats in the united states senate, and republicans still have control of the house, although at a smaller number. so, we have a divided congress. what are you going to do to work together? in my experience, it is about finding the areas where there is

common ground on how we can create jobs, how we can balance the budget but do it in ways that protect the middle class and those striving to get into the middle class. host: as we say goodbye to you, do you want to address what the caller said about nevada and your opinion is nothing but las vegas and reno? guest: there is so much putin in las vegas, geographic and ethnic diversity. i invite you to come out to the great state of nevada and experience all that we have to offer, not only in the city of las vegas but in every other part of nevada. come on back and enjoy it. host:, boozman steven horsford, representing about a's fourth district. -- nevada's fourth district. coming up next, congressman lee terry, republican from nebraska. first, this news update from c- span radio. >> world stock markets have been trading cautiously ahead of today's vote in the u.s. house of representatives of the

nation's borrowing limit. ahead of the opening bell on wall street, dow futures down about 45 points. the house is set to vote on a motion to suspend the nation's $16.40 trillion borrowing ceiling for the three months. you can watch the debate and vote live on c-span. there is speculation speculationbiden may be laying the groundwork -- vice president joe biden may be laying groundwork for a presidential campaign. he met with the national committee at a private reception and held events at his residence over the weekend, and invited the hampshire's governor to the swearing in and drop down -- dropped by an iowa and our robot. according to cnn, there are in his work a whole lot of reasons why he would not run but says he is now focused on helping president obama. secretary of state hillary clinton remains a heavy favorite if she decides to run for the high office. in 40 minutes, secretary clinton will be giving testimony on the assault on the eve of the

mission in benghazi, libya. that attack killed ambassador christopher stevens and three other americans. secretary clinton is the sole witness today at back-to-back hearings before the senate and house foreign policy committee. here live coverage of the senate hearing at 9:00 a.m. eastern and a house hearing at 2:00 p.m. eastern here on c-span radio or watched the hearings on c-span 3. those are some of the latest headlines on c-span radio. >> what is the best training for a policeman? >> i said it before and i will say it again -- the best training you can get to become a really good police officer and understand what it's all about is walk but -- you learn how to develop sources, you learn how to use intelligence information. you learn how to leverage relationships. that is the key. people in a community trust you, they will tell you when the things that are happening that are not yet -- so you can

intervene. they tell you all about how to go about doing it. i really learned the most in my career from those relationships. >> from high school dropout and single mother to the youngest police chief in washington, d.c., history. what cathy lanier on c-span's q&a. c-span, created by america's cable companies in 1979, brought to you as a public service by your television provider. "washington journal" continues. host: representative lee terry, republican of nebraska's second district. thank you for being here. guest: thank you. good morning to you and everyone watching. host: news out of nebraska. the governor back their route for the pipeline, the keystone xl pipeline. here is what "the new york times" says --

what does this mean for your stay? guest: it is good news for our state because it brings jobs and economic development in new property taxes. but it is more important to the nation as a whole that we access the third largest pool of oil in the world, so we did not have to buy imports from opec. so, it is a win-win for my state and a win for the country. host: why the new route? we are looking at a map from "the new york times." you can see the initial group and this is the revision. guest: the new route -- the sand hills is really a beloved area of our state where it is dry and sandy. it is. eco-environment and people were concerned about the environmental impact. our governor asked transcanada to move off of the sand hills and the agreed and it is the new route. host: environmental issues still

are coming up. environmentalists raised concern on everything from oil and gas industry, to what brood would do -- lands it would run through. what is your response? guest: it has been studied ad nauseam. environmental studies sestak heydebrand this table. all have concluded that it would be a minimal impact to the environment. and so, we have answered the environment of questions. the issue lies back in it is a heavier crude oil and the lot of environmentalists do not like that fossil fuel, the heavy crude. host: here is a headline in "the washington times." climate blowing in the wind for president obama. the issue of likely priority in the second term. the president mentioned climate change eight times in his inaugural address and the white house hinted he may use executive power to perform -- pursue clean energy investments. what is your reaction to the

president's inauguration speech and the agenda he is starting to lay out? guest: it was interesting to me. many of us think about financial crisis, the debt, the spending, are the major issues, but yet that was only mentioned once during his speech. climate change multiple times. and it is interesting to me as a proponent of weaning ourselves off of opec oil and accesses canada's oil, i wonder if the president has not backed themselves into a corner of the keystone pipeline. i worry that he will make a decision based on politics more than he will on whether this is actually good for our relationship with canada and makes us less dependent on foreign oil. host: the nebraska governor, approval of the pipeline overcomes occurred. "the washington times" says president obama faces pressure on keystone. what is the process going forward? guest: good question. when the governor signs that, sends it to the state department

and the present. the state department makes a recommendation to the president and the president can reject it or follow the recommendation. the interesting part is there is no shot clock on the state department to make a recommendation. that is what has a lot of of concern, that they will just sit on it. host: if you would like to speak with congressman lee terry, republican of nebraska, here are the numbers -- the house is poised to take a vote today on the debt ceiling. how do you plan to vote? guest: i am going to vote yes. it is part of a better strategy to get the senate to actually do some work, do the fundamental basic things up passing a budget. if they can pass a budget, we can go to conference and we can actually have discussions on where to bend at the spending curbs. so, this is all about forcing the senate to come to the table.

host: where did you go from here? we may see dissension from conservative republicans on this vote. does it set the stage on more debate or argument? are you concerned at all about speaker boehner's retention of power? guest: it is important we have as many of our conference vote for this. there are going to be a few who are always going to be against these type of things, because we are not solving the problem in one fell swoop. they always want to hit a home run playing slow ball and getting us in a position to win. we just have to accept that it is part of our conference now. but as long as we can get enough votes and move forward and have a real strategy to bending the spending curb and get spending under control, that is the important part. host: back to the keystone pipeline. a viewer rights on twitter -- writes on twitter.

is that something that should still be what? is it time to question who has purview? guest: yes, i think it is time to review. if the state department said on it, that really force of the question on why the state department should continue to have the power to make a recommendation. the reasoning behind the law is that it is crossing an international border and you need some input from the state department. but if they are going to play politics in sit on it, then maybe we need to take that power away. host: congressman lee terry started his eighth term representing nebraska's second district. he sits on the energy and commerce committee. prior to joining converse he served for eight years on the omaha city council and was the managing partner in a local law firm. guest: thank you. host: let's hear from our first caller for congressman terry. joining us from nevada, a democrat. caller: mr. terry, thank you for hearing me. good morning, everybody.

guest: good morning. caller: i was wondering -- i had this question ever since this pipeline came up. that is, why don't we just build a nice, new state of the art refinery up north up in north dakota or minnesota where the oil sand is and shipping it from there instead of shipping it clear down across the country and refining it and then shipping it out somewhere anyway. i will take your answer off the phone. guest: a very keen question because i think we do need to have a more geographical spacing of our refineries in this country. a no. refinery would be really important in the distribution. -- a northern refinery.

but under our environmental laws it is nearly impossible to build a new refinery. that is why you only see upgrade and expansion of current refining is. you have the oil in canada, the refinery is down in the gulf coast. the refineries have contract for the oil and you have to get there. that is why the pipeline is so important. i would love to do a new refinery. i think it would give us more energy security, but we have to face the reality that it is just not likely to happen. host: a viewer has this infographic, showing us where we see the area where the oil would originate. alberta, canada. nearly two trillion barrels of oil in place. we can see some more information about the options for getting the oil out of alberta. jack asks on twitter.

pipeline jobs low paying, price gouging for rent -- only the few benefits. guest: i disagree with every point on there. first of all, it is a labor contract. they are not low-paying jobs. i met with the heads of the unions in omaha that have the contract for those jobs. it is going to put hundreds, if sot thousands of nebraskan to work at high wages. and we have enough housing. they can actually live in an urban area and commit to the pipeline construction areas. so, frankly, this is not north dakota -- this is a pipeline. so, those type of humanity issues are not really for building a pipeline not at issue. host: a caller from nebraska. reuss is a republican. where did you live?

where is that? caller: north central nebraska. my comment to you is, you said you avoided the sensitive areas of the sand hills. that was not the reason the people in this state called for a special session with the governor. it was to dig our concerns was to avoid heavy op-ed offer and it got twisted around with the sand hills -- avoid the aquifer. the concerns of the consistent have not been met. as far as the jobs, they are temporary. and they are only short-lived for a short period of time. so, the economics gain in the state is very minimal. guest: first of all, every construction job is temporary because construction jobs, interstate jobs soon end.

there was an economic study done by the university on top of a cornell university study that showed the economic impact over 10 years would be somewhere around $1.8 billion. so, it is pretty significant. and the aquifer covers almost the entire state of from the beginning the governor's goal was to get it off of the scandals, which is a sensitive soil area. -- get it off of the sand hills. the environmental studies -- there have been two gone, significant studies that show that it does not have an environmental impact on the aq uifer. i have to take into account and the studies about whether there are leaks and impact on the aquifer and it has been studied and it showed the risks were minimal. host: a viewer rights in and asks --

guest: that is a good question. they can still bring it into the united states by rail or truck and go to refineries. it is a very inefficient way to move it. but china is making a power grab. they already bought one of the larger energy companies extracting the oil and encouraging canada and willing to pay for a pipeline to lead it to go west coast of canada and exported onto ships to china. so, the reality is being oil will be used somewhere in the world. that is a good question for me is, of the refineries in china don't have the environmental protections built in that we do in the united states. so, if we are really worried about co2 emissions from heavier crude, don't you want it refined in an area best able to reduce carbon emissions of the process? host: cundiff lee terry, republican from nebraska. up next, rebecca.

south dakota. independent. caller: saying we can help reduce the price of gas in this country. a big impact -- how much gas is. i know supposedly are heard them say they brought it down to 1.75. right now -- i know in the 1970's, they put a freeze on gas prices. why aren't we doing it today? in the 1970's we froze gas prices. why can't we do it today? guest: congress could, but the reality is the economic impacts could significantly hurt the rest of the economy by doing that. great economic arguments after nixon did that, nixon put in a price freeze but then also carter. it ended up hurting our economy in other areas. so, the reality is the best way

to get gas prices lower is to have a reliable source of energy, and that is what this sands provide the united states, billions of barrels of oil barely above our border. host: relating to the price of gas, bill writes in and ask whether the keystone xl pipeline -- would bring gas down to $2 a gallon? he says, is not, we want no part of it. guest: really? the answer is, it gives us the security. it will have a small impact at the pump. some say it will add more -- if you just think of basic economics, having a reliable source steady would actually lower it a few cents. but if you are looking at $1 decrease because of this, there is no silver bullet like that out there. but it does provide as the energy security that we do not

have when we are so reliant on opec. host: stephen from laurel, maryland, on the democrats' line. caller: thank you for c-span. from my understanding on the previous discussion about the keystone xl, the last congressional session, was that this oil was for export and it would not be coming back into the united states. so, it would not help reduce the price of gas at all, which was my concern. guest: critics have said that but they have absolutely provided no proof of that. the reality is it goes to u.s. refineries where it will create jobs and secure jobs. and those refineries have contracts with gasoline distributors throughout the united states. will some inevitably be exported?

sure. but the dominance of the will be used by americans. host: why is that significant, why is that important to you? guest: i think it is important for our own energy security that we use this oil in the united states. but there was an effort by some of the environmentalist saying no export -- you have to pass a law setting no export. it is not even a reasonable. because a lot of the 5 products are exported. we export diesel every day from the united states. to sit there and say none of it can be used for export is not realistic. but the majority of it will be used by the american citizens, which we want. host: let's hear from hector from florida on the republicans line. caller: good morning. i would like to mention in canada they do have refineries. why can't the united states and canada come to a mutual agreement and all we have to do is use the transportation system to bring the oil down

instead of building and spending some much money on the pipeline, creating jobs for the trucking industry. and an agreement with canada to distribute. [indiscernible] it would be a great idea because you would be saving money and making money. and if you want to sell it to the outside world, that is a secondary choice. but the united states should get the first choice and also reduce the price at the pump. guest: perfectly plausible. anyone can contract to buy refined product, gasoline or diesel, from the refineries in canada and bring it over. that is probably occurring at great deal right now. the issue is just the volume that is necessary and that the refineries are contrasting to have this brought to them.

these are the refinery down in texas, oklahoma, kansas. and so, it is a matter of contract and then the issue is how do you get the oil to those refineries in the safest and most efficient way of doing it -- which is due a pipeline. and also cost efficiency it is the best way. host:, congressman terry, turning to the vote you will be having today on the fiscal cliff. speaker boehner and other members of leadership gave a press conference yesterday evening and was a they talked about setting a budget. here is a photograph of that. you can see the hashed tag, the theme -- no budget, no pay. reading from "cq" -- the house gop bill made public was to suspend the salaries of members of the house or senate if either chamber does not adopt a budget resolution by april 15. what do you think about that and why? guest: i think the people would

want us to do our jobs. and one of the most basic elements of our job is to do a budget. every family has to do it. every business has to do it. why does congress get led off the hook on basic financial print -- planning through a budget? so, this is one way to force the senate, to try to get the senate to do a budget they have not done in four years. we plan on doing a budget. we have done one last year. we are going to do one this year. we need the senate to participate because it is a law like anything else. if the house passes one and the senate does not, there is no budget. so, we have to do this. and we are willing to give up our salaries if we don't do our part. the senate should, too. host: one of our callerss and the first our top about congressional pay. one proposed having congress go for a full year with no pay. another one talked about whether there should be a double income

tax on members of congress if they cannot come up with a budget. what do you think question of guest: a similar theory -- if you can't do your basic job of passing a budget there should be some penalty to the member, or this senator, for not allowing that to happen. now, working for free -- well, that is great. that is very altruist but even our founding fathers did not think it was a good idea. congress was paid. the reality is, even people like me would not be able to participate because i have to support my family and what do that before i am allowed to do any service like i feel i can do now. host: what about the idea of doubling the income tax and using taxation to get members of congress? if there are concerns about withholding pay. guest: there are a variety of ways to do this. but the reality is, just to get off on double taxation of anyone you don't like -- i am not sure it is great tax policy. but the reality is, the people

are very frustrated congress is not doing their job, so they think of creative ways of forcing us to do that. god bless her for thinking that. as so let's go back to the fund and hear from rex from sioux falls, south dakota. independent. caller: i noted in this talk he failed to mention and tell the good caller from nebraska who brought up the aquifer. it is an important part, a big thing on the hold up. regardless of what somebody happened to mention to your governor. you are not unlike of course senator thune from south dakota or representative noem or most of the right wing blogs will yell about this, did not realize the significance. you should. the aquifer provides water for not only nebraska but most of kansas and oklahoma.

about one-fourth of texas. it touches south dakota, colorado, in new mexico. it is the largest aquifer in the united states. so, it is a very valuable resource for the farmers, irrigation, ranchers for water, towns and cities. the whole big area. it should be mentioned -- i do not know how you can neglected and not mention it. the other thing i would like that you say since you are on here to talk about xl pipeline, could you tell me and the nation how many nebraskans were employed in building the keystone i pipeline that runs for the same state. i have not heard from south dakota. how many nebraskans were employed in the building of the keystone i pipeline which is

already been built? guest: thank you. i probably should have started off with the fact that there has been two significant environmental impact studies on the different routes of the keystone pipeline over the aquifer. the aquifer was a major part, the subject of those two studies. both of those studies that total to the level of this desk, so there have been significant that is, both confirm it would have negligible risk on the aquifer. so, that was a major part of the focus. so i have to go but the scientists and experts who said it would have negative impact. host: let's look at images as you continue to talk about aquifer. guest: and it is important. because there are two ways to look at it. you can do what the gentleman

just said -- we cannot -- it is so big we cannot do anything over it. so we remove the thousands of pipe lines moving over the aquifer for 60 years? some of us say when we hear, you can't do anything over the aquifer, what you are really saying you cannot have any pipelines in the entire midwest. because there is going to the ground water, there are going to be aquifers so it is not a reasonable position to say no pipeline ever. and so, you have to rely on the environmental impact that say, ok, if there is a leak, what would be the damage and can it be cleaned up? and though the environmental studies answered the questions. our governors that he did. the state department studied it. host: congressman, tell us more about the area of nebraska that you represent, what your constituents told you as you faced reelection in the past few months? anything new you are trying to bring to the table?

guest: i have been consistent ever sent to the environmental studies have come out. i represent part of eastern nebraska. the metropolitan area. i have several farms. now in my new district, i have doubled the number of farms from probably 6-12. but the reality is, i tried to represent the whole state. because we only have three. we all work together. and this is an important project to nebraska. and just like the gentleman from south dakota who just was on, to answer part of this question -- i can't tell him how many but i can tell him there are a number of unions in nebraska who have contracts to go to work on these, and it will be hundreds is not a thousand different types of trades people that are going to work on this project. host:barry is in michigan. good morning. guest: actually i have two questions now. say 10 years down the road the pipeline is built, and the

canadian government already said it is earmarked for china. you said now china actually owns of the san oil. guest: part of it, yes. caller: tenured down the road, where does our revenue come from? -- 10 years down the road. you said we are selling diesel fuel every day to other countries while we are paying $4.39 a gallon, bringing up the price of bananas and everything else. you are comfortable with that? this is amazing. i've got truckers in our family who have been out of business that on five, six trucks apiece. they are paying $4.39, and that is the exact reason why they are out of business and you are comfortable with that? it is getting amazing in this country how much of our wealth is being shipped overseas. guest: well, we want more use of

diesel and i am working with our truckers to move to a natural gas vehicle in the trucking industry so they can have a lower-priced fuel and getting the level of diversity i think is extremely important as we move forward on a future energy policy. what was his -- oh, built in canada. i don't know how to project the outlook of energy needs in 10 years but i do think we are still going to need that level of oil, and probably with efficiencies and transportation -- and if we can broaden the fuels like natural gas involved in trucking, then the reality is maybe our use or need for opec oil could go down to zero. but we are still going to need access to our fields in north dakota and montana and we are still going to need some of the oil in canada.

host: joe. plymouth, michigan. republican. caller: how are you doing? i am just on to say this. president obama is going to reject this pipeline because of his crony people that he has behind him. and i am getting tired of my tax dollars going to do to other countries -- and we have to get our oil for them. the pipeline -- and everyone can get over it and that is it. guest: ok. i don't know if the president is going to approve it or not. i worry he got too far out in his inaugural address to the nation in a boxed himself in. i hope it can -- he can be reasoned in the decision. host: the headline of "the wall street journal" says agenda against centrists applause. talking about the president's inauguration speech.

some democrats say it may undercut the focus of the economy. let's go to bryant from kansas. caller: thank you for taking my call. i just had a couple of questions and a few store -- short statements. i would like to know the diameter of the pipeline. a 24 inch bass 48 inch? how big is the pipeline? and the rate floats -- how much can they pushed through it? and they push 100 barrels a second or a minute or so forth? and i would comment -- i worked on a pipeline in iowa, and as for john, i needed a job at that time. i went up to the yard, the county seat in clark county. i went up there three days as a truck driver. on the third day of a guy came

by, a crew chief and he said if you want to drive a truck or do you need a job? i said, i want a job. he said, get in a pickup. i was not a member of the union at that time. i had no pipeline experience but i was willing to work. it was a great job. great guys to work with. got me out of a financial hole. we worked 12 hours a day, seven days a week and i took off at thanksgiving and christmas and we were what her casting the line, des moine river, and it finally got so cold on the 18th day of january that we shut it down for the winter. my crew chief said if you want to we will come by any money and go to eastern montana -- and we can work all winter. i declined. like itt like to say --

or not, then it north american nafta trade agreement, we need highways and we need pipelines and we need larose running north and south in this country. if you look at the interstate system -- and i watched it being built. i drove a truck in the early 1960's. if you look at the center of the country, it is strategic militarily, strategic transportation-wise and not only do we need the pipeline running through nebraska, kansas, and wherever down the midwest but we need major, major rail systems running north and south in this country. host: we will leave it there to get a response. guest: he raised a lot of issues. the first part of the technical thects -- i don't recall

diameter or the flow but there was a lot of discussion of the materials. because the original plan was to use a new, fenner albeit stronger -- and there was a lot of concerns that it was not a pipeline you want to experiment on, so they went back to the usual standards of thickness and materials. op-ed this pipeline has been reviewed by pipeline and hazardous materials agency. and it conforms to all of the standards. in fact, it exceeds all of the standards. host: hydrocarbons technology.com. 36 inch diameter pipes. switching to a story at npr. local reporters on the ground been states it will travel through, they say the keystone pipeline already exists but actually talking about the expansion, the keystone xl

pipeline. let's hear from tom calling us from nebraska on the republican line. this directly affects you. caller:. thank you 30s bid. i have to disagree with people saying the pipeline should not go over the aquifer. they just got done repairing 2,500 feet going through my farm of a candor morgan oil pipeline. it is going right over the aquifer. it is within 200 yards of the south platte river. the water table is 1,500 feet. the oil originates from canada and i believe it is going to say laws and candor morgan had a pipeline and it has been in there since 1952. host: the house is about to begin but if you want to -- guest: it goes back to what i

said earlier. there have been pipeline's over this area for 50 or 60 years. at the crude, natural gas, light crude. so, we have experience. and of this particular pipeline, because of the controversy they have committed to even extra standard than the other pipelines. and to have people to reach it if there is an oil leak, in two or three hours as opposed to the usual standard of 12 hours. so, i feel very confident about the safety of this pipeline. host: congressman lee terry representing nebraska's second district, starting his eighth term in congress. thank you for being here this morning. coming up next, we will head to the house floor. over on c-span 3 we will bring you secretary of state hillary clinton's testimony on benghazi. she will be before the senate foreign relations committee starting at 9:00 on c-span 3 and at 2:00 she will be before the house foreign affairs committee, also on c-span 3.

over in the house, we will look to date toward their votes coming up on the no budget, no pay act. here we go to the house floor. thank you for joining us this morning. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.]

the speaker: the house will be in order. the prayer will be offered by our chaplain, father conroy. chaplain conroy: let us pray. god of heaven and earth, we

give you thanks for giving us another day. we ask your blessing upon the members of the people's house during these opening days in the first session of the 113th congress. bless the members of this assembly with wisdom, inspire them with -- act with justice and empower them to work toward legislative solutions to the many challenges facing our nation. bless all the people of our nation as they return to their homes following the celebrations of the past few days. may the work of their hands issue forth to the betterment of their own lives and the strength and vitality of their communities. may all that is done this day be for your greater honor and glory. amen. the speaker: the chair has examined the journal of the last day's proceedings and announces to the house his approval thereof. pursuant to clause 1 of rule 1 the journal stands approved. for what purpose does the gentleman from california rise? >> mr. speaker, pursuant to

clause one of rule 1, i demand a vote on agreeing to the speaker's approval of the journal. the speaker: the question is on agreeing to the speaker's approval of the journal. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. the journal stands approved. >> i object to the vote on the grounds that a quorum is not present and i make a point of order that a quorum is not present. the speaker: pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on this question are postponed. the pledge of allegiance today will be led by the gentleman from colorado, mr. coffman. mr. coffman: i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. the speaker: under clause 5-d of rule 20, the chair announces to the house that in light of the resignation of the gentlewoman from missouri, mrs. emerson, the whole number of the house is now 432.

the chair will entertain up to five requests for one-minute speeches from each side. for what purpose does the gentleman from colorado rise? mr. coffman: mr. speaker, i request unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker: without objection. mr. coffman: mr. speaker, today i am introducing legislation to put an end to the defined benefit retirement plan currently available to members of congress. these are extremely difficult economic times. we are in a debt crisis that will require sacrifices on the part of all americans. i served in both the u.s. army and marine corps and i was taught that leaders should never ask others to do anything that they themselves would be unwilling to do. congress needs to set an example and lead the way for the country. i think ending the congressional pension system is a good start. my legislation will honor any retirement benefits accrued

prior to the passage of this bill and will keep social security and the thrift savings plan in place for members of congress. i believe that members of congress should feel the same economic pressures the rest of society does and i firmly believe that the constraint of the size and scope of congress requires that all possible solutions must be taken, including cuts to the congressional budget. i urge the passage of this bill, and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from florida seek recognition? for what purpose does the gentleman -- >> i'm sorry, mr. speaker. i ask for unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to be able to revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman from florida is recognized. >> thank you, sir. mr. speaker, i rise to honor a dedicated educator, a true miami treasure, a man who inspired me and many others,

mr. pat collins. mr. collins has been a social studies teacher and department head at the preparatory school since 1971. currently teaching a.p. u.s. government and politics, mr. collins moderates the chapter of amnesty international. it is the model, the united nations program and founded the overseas study program in 1994 and teaches civic responsibility to his students. chapter member of the -- a charter member of the u.s. historical society, pat has received numerous awards, including the cornell university outstanding educator and the close-up foundation's linda meyer chosen award for teaching excellence and sievics. mr. garcia: mr. collins and inspired and educated many of thousands of students, many who serve in public service, like myself. thank you, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from alabama seek recognition?

>> to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: does the gentleman seek unanimous consent? >> i seek unanimous consent. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. >> thank you. mr. speaker, let me rise to announce bipartisan legislation that my good friend and colleague, terri sewell, and i are introducing today to honor the four little girls that were killed in the bombing of the 16th street baptist church in birmingham with the congressional gold medal. mr. bachus: this year marks the 50th anniversary of this pivotal event in the history of the civil rights movement which less than a year later resulted in the passage of the civil rights act. we know today that the evil that occurred in this place of god on september 15, 1963, galvanized the conscience of the nation and led to the passage of laws to ensure equal rights for every american. the innocent young children killed in the bombing, addy,

carolyn, cynthia, denise were eulogized and martyred heroes by dr. martin luther king and it is fitting and proper that this congress recognize the historic significance of their life. ironically, they were studying about the love and forgiveness of god at the time of their death. let us be mindful that despite this act of violence and the killing of a young 16-year-old black boy and 14-year-old black boy the same day, the civil rights leaders were committed to nonviolence and they kept true to that commitment. despite the violence done to them, they showed forgiveness against the people and our colleague, john lewis, and others helped us avoid by their commitment to nonviolence the calamities and replaying of grievances that destroyed the fabric of many other countries. to them we should be eternally

grateful. in closing, let this legislation bring us together, and i commend your support for it and i ask for your co-sponsorship. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlelady from california seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized for one minute. >> mr. speaker, consider the following -- if the united states had an adopted policy of equal pay it would put $200 billion more into the economy every year. ms. eshoo: that comes out to about $137 for every white woman per paycheck and approximately $300 for every woman of color who are doublely discriminated against. these women are not going to put their money into a cayman islands bank account. instead, they'll spend it and this will boost our economy, create jobs and help families. with a record number of women in the work force, wage discrimination hurts the

majority of american families, both in terms of their economic security today and their retirement security tomorrow. the institute of women's policy research found that wage disparity will cost women anywhere from $400,000 to $2 million over a lifetime of lost wages. that means fewer resources to pay the mortgage, send kids to college or have a decent retirement. that's why i support the paycheck fairness act. it ensures that employers who try to justify paying a man more than a woman for the same job must show the disparity is not sex-based. the house of representatives should address this issue. thank you and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from south carolina seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman from south carolina is recognized. mr. wilson: mr. speaker, the primary reason why the government is in economic

turmoil, destroying jobs is due to a lack of fiscal responsibility. the house has fulfilled the most basic responsibility of governing and passing a budget. on the other hand, the liberal controlled senate has failed to complete a budget for nearly four years. hardworking american families and small businesses plan to spend within their means and abide by a budget. the federal government should do as well. today, house republicans will continue -- consider legislation aimed at putting this fiscal irresponsibility to a halt by voting on the no budget, no pay act. this bill will raise the debt ceiling for three months with the provision that both houses of congress must pass a budget. if either body fails to achieve the task, the members' pay will be withheld. it is past time to hold the president and the liberal controlled senate accountable for out-of-control spending. if hardworking americans strive to succeed in their jobs, the senate must do theirs as well. in conclusion, god bless our troops and we will never forget

september 11 and the global war on terrorism. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from rhode island seek recognition? mr. cicilline: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman from rhode island is recognized. mr. cicilline: mr. speaker, i rise today to commemorate the 40th anniversary of row v. wade, the landmark supreme court decision that formally recognized the woman's right regarding decisions on her reproductive health care. this came as a result of decades of relentless activism and litigation on the part of great women advocates. but today there are those that want to roll back those fundamental rights and turn back the clock on women's health care. we've seen them use the same tactics over and over again during the last 40 years. in fact, according to an institute, more than 40 laws were passed to restrict access to abortion in 19 states just this past year. that's why as we commemorate the 40th anniversary of roe v.

wade, it's more important than ever to commit ourselves to protecting these basic rights and ensure that women across our country have full control over their personal well-being and health and retain access to health care they require. thank you and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman from california is recognized. >> mr. speaker, the house is poised to pass h.r. 325 today. i respect the sip saret of its supporters but i must firmly dissent. this bill acome dates spending at ruinous levels far beyond the limits set by the house budgets. mr. mcclintock: it abolishes the debt limit for nearly four months, giving an up limited credit card to the house administration. i think americans will be stunned by the moratorium. certainly thousands of dollars will be heaped on households

across america. the republicans passed two budget plans that puts our nation on a path toward fiscal solvency. if the debt limit were increased in that trajectory within two-month incrementals, that would both divert default now and the fiscal crisis that we are fast approaching. i believe that's achievable and far prmble to the bill to be voted on today. . the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlelady rise? without objection, the gentlelady from alabama is recognized. ms. sewell: this year marks the 50th anniversary celebration of the selma's role in the civil rights events. we honor the event that occurred in our city in 1963. the city of birmingham serves as a reminder to the rest of the world that out of despair there is hope and justice does indeed

prevail. my good friend, congressman spencer balk cuss, and i along with the entire alabama delegation, plan to ask this august body to bestow on its basis the highest civilian honor the congressional gold medal to the four little girls who lost their lives during the 1963 bombing of 16th street baptist church. we believe it is befitting that during this year, 2013, we pay tribute to addy may collins, cynthia walledly, carolyn robertson, and denise mcnair, posthumously, for they have truled paid the ultimate sacrifice. they are indeed emblematic of so many in the -- in birmingham who lost their lives for the cause of freedom. they represent all of those citizens and all of those who fought so hard and courageously, black and white, to make sure that we have in this nation hold

up its ideals of equality for all. i ask that this august body work with spencer bachus and the entire delegation to bipartisanly support and bestow upon them the congressional medal of honor. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlelady from tennessee seek recognition? >> request unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentlelady from tennessee is recognized for one minute. mrs. black: mr. speaker, as a charter member of the fix congress now caucus, i'm very excited that this legislation will be voted on the house later today. we on the house budget committee work hard to pass a responsible budget each year, but the democrat-controlled senate refuses to do the same. in fact, it has been nearly four years since the senate has passed a budget. since that time, the federal government has racked up annual

deficits exceeding $1 trillion in total more than $5 trillion has been added to our national debt in just four years. if we stay on our current path of record deficit, big government, and unfunded entitlement programs, greece's present will be america's future. a massive debt crisis is surely not the future we want for our children or our grandchildren. fiscal responsibility and accountability in the halls of congress cannot wait. today we will take an important step in the house to force the senate to either do its job or face its consequences. it's simple. no budget, no pay. thank you, mr. speaker. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from kentucky seek recognition? mr. yarmuth: i request unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman from kentucky is recognized.

mr. yarmuth: mr. speaker, after the massacre of 20 children and six educators in connecticut, we have heard the predictable rantings of people who are convinced beyond all reason and evidence that the federal government intends to take their guns away. i am sad that they have succumbed to the fear mongering of the national rifle association and others who really want to sell more guns, but it's more than sad. frankly it's dangerous when a government leader stoops to the same fear mongering for political purposes. last week senate minority leader mitch mcconnell's campaign sent out an email entitled, watch out they are coming for your guns. among the email's claims is the plateant distortion, quote, president obama is spelling out the 23 executive orders he will take to get your guns. those 23 executive actions are so modest that even gun rights activists said they had no problem with them. in fact, many of them reflect proposals made by the n.r.a. even if we give senator mcconnell the benefit of the doubt as to whether he actually knew what his campaign manager

was putting out, he he is as responsible as we all are for what our employees do in our name. i call on senator mcconnell to apologize to his supporters, some of whom are my constituents, for stoking totally irrational and unjustifiable fear. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? >> pursuant to house resolution 39, i call up house resolution -- h.r. 325 to ensure the complete and timely payment of obligations of the united states government. the speaker pro tempore: does the gentleman mean to call up the rule? mr. sessions: i do. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the resolution. the clerk: house calendar number 2, house resolution 39, resolved, that upon the adoption of this resolution it shall be in order to consider in the house the bill, h.r. 325, to ensure the complete and timely payment of the obligations of the united states government until may 19, 2013, and for

other purposes. all points of order against consideration of the bill are waived. the amendment printed in the report of the committee on rules accompanying this resolution shall be considered as adopted. the bill as amended shall be considered as read. all points of order against provisions in the bill as amended are waived. the previous question shall be considered as ordered on the bill as amended, and on any amendment thereto to final passage without intervening motion except one, one hour of debate with 40 minutes equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking member of the committee on ways and means. and 20 minutes equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking member of the committee on house administration. and two, one motion to recommit with or without instructions. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas is recognized for one hour. mr. session: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield the customary 30 minutes, to the gentleman, my friend from worcester,

massachusetts, mr. mcgovern, pending which i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. sessions: all time yielded is for the purpose of debate only. mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks on h.r. 325. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. sessions: today's debate is about one very simple but profoundly important goal, mr. speaker, and that is restoring our vibrant economy by reducing the crippling weight of the growing debt caused by our federal government. in the coming months, we face a string of deadlines that will force congress and the administration to address the fundamental challenge of our trillion dollar deficit and its mounting effect on our economy and jobs in america. we have already exceeded the $16 trillion in debt, and republicans find this debt level

absolutely unacceptable. and that is why we are here today. by contrast, president obama seems to be perfectly comfortable with the idea of reaching $23 trillion, which is where we'll be at at the end of his second term, if we continue his policies in that direction. while $16 trillion of debt is stifling our economy, $23 trillion would crush it. it would crush the dreams and hopes and aspirations of our great nation, and the people who will certainly follow us, our children and our grandchildren. that's why today we are considering this rule and the underlying bill in order to reverse this course. our great speaker, john boehner, and our majority leader, eric cantor, are pleased that this bill is on the floor today to discuss not just this important activity with our members of

congress, but to let the american people know we are serious about what needs to be done to save this country from this crippling debt. we will use the upcoming weeks and the looming deadlines before us as a means to enacting a more meaningful and lasting reform so that we can begin to grapple with this skyrocketing debt. at the same time, today's rule and the underlying bill will allow us to turn up pressure on the senate to join the house in offering real solutions. together these actions would help to reignite our engines of -- to grow our economy and restore discipline and accountability to our federal budget. the first of the looming deadlines we face is the debt ceiling limit. the underlying bill would temporarily suspend this limit so that we have the opportunity

to craft comprehensive reforms without risking debt and default on this debt that our nation has incurred. risking default would be counterproductive to our republican agenda of restoring economic growth, getting our fiscal house in order, and ensuring that we do not burden future generations with intolerable debt. we will not risk the full faith and credit of the united states, but neither will we compromise a long-term extension of the debt ceiling without slashing wasteful federal spending, enacting meaningful entitlement reform, and ending the err why of trillion dollar deficits. by taking this temporary action, we are keeping the focus where it is needed and where it's intended and help resolving the coming debates on sequestration, the expiring continuing resolution, and the f.y. 2014 budget to fiscal discipline and

entitlement reform. suspending the debt ceiling until may 19 provides the house and the senate with much needed time to pass their budgets and then consider how best to deal with the sequester. the underlying bill also takes action to ensure that the senate becomes an active partner which we want and need and the american people, i think, expect in order for our efforts to reform federal spending. for nearly four years, the senate has failed to meet its most basic obligation -- passing a budget. during this time, the senate has collected its own paychecks despite being derelict in its most important duty. in the private sector there are consequences for failing to do one's job. this resolution will impose the same accountability on members of congress that the private

sector workers face. oh, yes, we are putting that same obligation on the house as we would want them to accept in the senate. that is, if you don't get your work done, you don't get paid. the power of the purse is the most fundamental duty the stigse places upon congress. -- the constitution places upon congress. far too long this power has not been wielded with the discipline and accountability necessary to do responsibly and sustaining the efforts of our country properly. there are a host of challenges that must be addressed, but the entire process begins with a joint budget resolution. as long as the senate is unwilling or unable to do its job, our efforts in the house to deliver real solutions to the american people will continue to be impeded. some have questioned whether the action we are taking is constitutional. the 27th amendment of the constitution prohibits legislation that varies the

salary of members of current congress. this provision was intended to prevent members of the house and the senate from giving themself a pay raise without first standing before the voters. this bill upholds both the letter and the spirit of the 27th amendment. it would not change a member's rate of compensation in any way. they just don't get to collect it until they do their jobs. and until they get their work done, we simply cannot adopt a permanent extension to that debt ceiling. this body will work to ensure that the senate performs the most basic tasks to pass a budget, and will do our job also. we will continue to work for meaningful entitlement and spending reforms to take us beyond our current cycle of prices and deadlines in favor of long-term solutions. as we do all this in order to

invigorate our economy and to put our nation back to prosperity for ourselves and future generations. i urge my colleagues to support this rule and the underlying legislation. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from massachusetts. mr. mcgovern: thank you, mr. speaker. i want to thank the gentleman from texas, the new chairman of the rules committee, mr. sessions for yielding me the customary 30 minutes. i ask unanimous consent to revise and extend my remarks. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. the gentleman is recognized. mr. mcgovern: thank you, mr. speaker. first of all let me say to my colleagues both democratic and republican colleagues, that they ought to vote against this rule. this bill before us today was not the product of deliberation in either the ways and means committee or the house administration committee. there were no hearings. it was brought before the rules committee last night and not a sickle -- single amendment was made in order. this is a closed rule. so if my friend from texas wants

to usher in a new policy of openness in this congress, we should have had this rule open so that members could have an opportunity to express themselves and to have their viewpoints made known. but again it is a completely closed rule. so this rule should be defeated. it should go back to the rules committee. we ought to come back with something that allow this is chamber to be able to do its deliberation. mr. speaker, we ought to be here today to raise the debt ceiling, not because we like the idea of raising the debt ceiling, but because that's the right thing to do. it is the right thing to do for our country and for our economy, it is the right thing to do for the businesses of this country so they have some certainty that we will not default on our debts. and if they had that certainty, they would then invest in our economy and help create more jobs and create more opportunity for people. .

what i heard from democrats and republicans when i bumped into on all occasions, they may have differences on our tax policy, they may have differences on our economic policy, but the one thing that they agree is that congress should provide certainty and this is anything but certainty. what we're doing today, thanks to the republican leadership, is to bring a short-term extension of the debt ceiling to the floor, which means they have decided once again to play partisan politics with the debt ceiling. this is a bad idea. this is not the way a mature governing body ought to behave. we ought to do our job. next month, the united states will hit the debt ceiling. without action the united states will default on its debts. the last time the republican leadership played this dangerous game with economic russian roulette, they threatened the full faith and credit of the united states for the first time in our history. for some reason they seem

hell-bent on doing it again. we need to be clear about one thing, the debt limit is not about new spending. it's not about increasing the deficit. the debt limit is simply the way congress pays for things that we have already bought. things like the wars in iraq and afghanistan. by the way, my friends on the other side continue to insist we don't pay for, just goes on our credit card. things like the medicare prescription drug benefit that was not paid for that my friends on the other side of the aisle championed. things that the republicans have voted for over and over and over again. we can and we should have an open and thoughtful debate on our spending priorities and our deficit. that is what we're supposed to do, but playing games with the debt limit, threatening to default should not be an option. but that's just the way -- but that's just what the bill before us does. it once again kicks the can down the road. instead of passing a clean long-term debt ceiling bill, one that could ensure that

america doesn't default on its debt and obligations, the republicans have chosen to bring a bill that -- up that would put us right back in the same place that we're in now in may, three months from now. so what's next, mr. speaker? a three-week extension of the debt ceiling, three days, three hours? my republican friends go on and on about how the business community needs and deserves certainty from washington, but treating the full faith and credit of the united states like just another political talking point is no way to create serpt. how ironic, -- create certainty. how ironic, mr. speaker, that the republican party, the party that took a record surplus and turned it into a roffs deficit, the party that put two wars on a credit card, the party that didn't pay for a massive prescription drug benefit now wants to pay its bills, now wants to pay its bills. the same group of people that

got us into this mess and now telling us they want to get us out of this mess. the fact is on the issue of the deficit and on the issue of the debt, my friends on the other side of the aisle i do not believe have any credibility. you know, there's an old show business saying, mr. speaker, you got to have a gimmick, and my republican friends never cease to disappoint me. they always have a gimmick. they believe in government by gimmicks. and this, you know, no budget, no pay bill is another gimmick. let's kind of play this out. what their bill says is if the house doesn't pass a budget bill by april 15, we don't get paid. if the senate doesn't pass a budget by bill -- bill by april 15, they don't get paid. i'm sure they have the votes to ram whatever they want through the house of representatives and i'm sure they'll bring us yet another budget bill that has another extreme, excessive

spending cuts and programs that benefit the middle class and poor they brought before us last year. i think they will bring a bill to the floor. let's say the senate does bring a budget bill to the floor and they pass it. this bill does not require that there be a conference report that is voted on by both the house and the senate as a condition to whether or not members get paid. so, again, this is not a solution. what this is is more political gamesmanship. you pass something in the house and maybe totally irrecognize seibel, something that will never -- irreconcilable, something that will never -- and there we are. there we are three months from now in the same position that we are in now. you know, the way this should be done, and i think this is a radical idea, but the way this should be done is the leadership of the republican side should speak with the leadership of the democratic side and let's see if we can kind of agree on a way to

proceed. there ought to be serious discussions. i also point out for my colleagues and for those who are watching, you know, there are a couple of occasions over the last year and a half where speaker boehner came very close to coming to an agreement with the white house on a bigger deal, and on those two occasions the speaker said no after he came very close to saying yes. why did he say no? it had nothing to do with the senate not having pass a budget resolution. when the speaker came back and talked to his republican rank and file members they all said no. they said no. it doesn't cut medicare enough. it doesn't cut social security enough. it doesn't cut food stamps enough. it doesn't cut education enough. it doesn't cut job creation enough. there are people on the other side of the aisle, mr. speaker, who are using this not as an opportunity to balance our budget, but they are using this as an opportunity to gut

government, to end the public sector. they see this had as their opportunity. as a result we have this uncertainty. as a result the american people pay the price. as a result this economy is not recovering as quickly as it needs to be. i would urge my colleagues to vote no on this rule, this closed rule. this is not the way we should begin this session, and mr. speaker, i would urge my colleagues on the other side of the aisle enough of the gimmicks. it's time to get serious about doing the people's business. and this is not doing the people's business. i yield -- i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time is reserved. the gentleman from texas. mr. sessions: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i'd like to ask unanimous consent to insert in the record an article from "the washington post" dated january 22, 2013. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. sessions: mr. speaker, i'd like to now discuss, if i can, this "washington post" article which is out today which says the senate majority leader, harry reid, praised house

leaders for moving ahead with a bill that would give the government borrowing authority into the future. he further said that he not only is very glad that we're going to send a clean debt ceiling bill, but that he felt it would be good for the senate to be able to take up this action. well, mr. speaker, what we're trying to do is empower those things that we know this institution, the house and the senate, where we work closer together, where we both do our work. and yesterday the gentleman representing the ways and means committee, mr. ryan, who's also -- paul ryan, chairman of the house budget committee, in testimony said that he intended to make sure that he would produce a bill exactly supporting what we are trying to do here today and would bring that to the floor as

would be faithful in doing that. look, maybe people are upset that we're putting their pay at risk. maybe people are upset because it wasn't their idea, but the bottom line is is that paul ryan, john boehner, eric cantor, the rules committee yesterday said we think it's a good bill and we were joined bihari reid, the senate majority -- joined by harry reid, the senate majority leader. when the senate majority leader agrees with the house republican leadership and join with them in trying to make sure that we get our job done, i think that's a rare day. i think that's a good day when we can work together, when we can bring legislation that the senate openly welcomes and might i add, the president of the united states, president obama would sign this legislation. and he said so in the statement

administration policy. reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from massachusetts. mr. mcgovern: mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. mcgovern: i'm glad the gentleman from texas agrees with harry reid. i hope he agrees with harry reid on more things in the future, but the fact of the matter is this show business before us does nothing other than postpone this debate on the debt ceiling for three months. it doesn't require a finished product. it does not require that we actually have something that amounts to a deal that goes to the president's desk. this is, you know, the house will pass their extreme budget like they always do. the senate will probably do something. and then nothing else is required. there's no requirement for a deal in order to get your pay. i mean, this is show business. this is show business. and what we should be doing is providing certainty to the business community that we're not going to default on our obligations in three months. we ought to come together and

figure out a way to be able to get this budget in balance without destroying the social safety net in this country. again, the problem has always been -- and let's be clear about this -- as much as i get frustrated with the senate, the problem on this is not the senate. the problem is the rank and file republicans in the house republican conference who every time the speaker of the house goes to them with a deal they say no. they always says it doesn't cut deep enough. it doesn't eliminate programs that pep the poor. it doesn't e-- help the poor. it doesn't eliminate programs that help the middle class. it doesn't eliminate programs that creates jobs. the ultimate goal on the other side is not about a balanced budget. they are don't care about this balanced budget. they are the ones that turned it into the worst deficit and debt in the history of our country. they don't care about it. they care about eliminating the public sector. that's what this is about. and three months, please. three months, what kind of

certainty is that? at this point, mr. speaker, i'd like to yield as much time as she like to consume, the gentlelady from new york, the distinguished ranking member of the rules committee, ms. slaughter. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized. ms. slaughter: i have a great speech here. it's terribly important that we try to make the point one more time that process here is turned upside down and is totally meaningless. so john boehner and paul ryan and harry reid and the rules committee all agree. that leaves out about 500 more people who have been sent here and from the districts to represent what the people live -- who live there think. this is not the first time this has happened. a couple weeks ago on the fiscal cliff we had a thing that came up from nowhere called plan b. john boehner liked that. i guess paul ryan liked that. i'm not sure what harry reid thought about that, but the rules committee thought it was

ok. but the fact of the matter is that bill was written while the rules committee was in session. there are 13 of us on rules committee. we love the enormous power that we got. but i don't believe any of us ever suspected that the rules committee was going to supersede all of the committees in the house of representatives. there's been no committee action on any of this. in addition, i want to make the point again in spite of what we tried to do, we said nobody's talked about this. there's been no discussion on this. let's have an open rule. let's let not just the people on our side but the people on the republican side who had no input here as well, let's open it up and have a real debate and see what's going on here. what is going on here? what's going on here, as my colleague points out, is a circus of dubious constitutional validity, frankly. some people may say it's ok what they're doing. other people say absolutely

not. we certainly should have had that decision before we got this far. what will the senate do with it? heavens to betsy, i don't know. they have to have 60 votes over there before they get to do anything. it's the only legislative body in the world where 60 is the majority, not 51, as it is in every other place. we reached i think a new low today. i am very depressed by the fact that the constitution of the united states, which is very specific, that the rules of the congress which are extremely specific are meaningless here. we have all these people in the committees, people with expertise, wonderful staff. we can draw on resources from all over, probably the world. not just america. we have plenty of them here just a block away. all the people we can talk to, all the people we can ask, what is the meaning of this? what will do it do to the

economy of the united states of america? are we on the right track? should we be doing something different? do we need a debt limit law? why can't we have those kinds of discussions in this congress ever again? it's as though if we give them time to think about it and everybody has a chance to weigh in on it, then maybe we won't be able to move this the way we'd like to and play another got you game which is really what it comes down to. i don't care if "the washington post" loves it. i think they're pleased that something harry reid said he liked it. not something that's been heard here lately. i don't know what it is. i don't think the rest of my members know what it is. we certainly didn't yesterday in the rules committee. we didn't have the knowledge of

those from the process which could have answered the questions that came up yesterday. all of us know where this came from. charles wrote a column in "the washington post." they may like that a whole lot as well. that's where this came from. he said, that's a good idea. instead of going to the committees of the congress of the united states where people of knowledge are seated, they decide, let's throw it together over the weekend at a retreat and we'll take it back next week. we're only going to work a couple of days. so let's rush it through and get it through and maybe by the time we get to three months something will have straightened out. or more likely, mr. speaker, in three months we will have thought of another way that we can kick the can down the road. . it's important to note this is not a suspension of debt limit, it's an extension of debt limit. that makes a difference as well, but we didn't get a chance to discuss that part of it, either.

we did away with all notions of regular order. i really thought plan b, as i said earlier, i don't want anybody to miss this, that bill was being written while the rules committee was meeting. i know that will all the students of government, all the colleges and universities in this country, they are out there teaching people how america runs, how wonderfully put together it was by the founding fathers. how our constitution is our guiding light. we just celebrated that because without the president's inaugural speech, base the so closely on the declaration of independence, and talk of the constitution, made us understand that is what we are here to uphold, and we all upheld our hands and swore we wouldup hold it. when it comes to a piece of legislation like this, this is the same as i said last night in the rules committee, it's just lurching around and jerking around and coming up with any kind of crazy gimmick we can

think of and make smart remarks. will i tell you that kicking the can down the road for three more months is not a solution. givings us beating room, but i don't have any reason in the world to believe through past performance that the future is going to be any clearer for us. until the leaders of the house can start to include the members in the majority and minority and the legislative process through regular order will be little more than a dream. and today's bill drops the majority's insistence increase the debt limit be matched by cuts to medicare or reduction to education funding. that's a step forward, but it doesn't answer our questions. my democrat colleagues and i are eager, eager to participate in the legislative process for which we came to washington. the american people are certainly eager if not eager, maybe desperate would be a better word, to see an end to

this dysfunction in this congress. i hope that at some point the majority will realize that a completely partisan approach, which is what we have had, is a dead end. that meaningful solutions can only come from negotiation and compromise with those on the other side of the aisle who do have some good ideas. and when the majority comes to that realization, my democrat colleagues and i will happily join in an effort to craft serious legislative answers our country needs, our constituencies deserve, and the world expects of us. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas. mr. sessions: thank you very much, mr. speaker. i appreciate the gentlewoman, the ranking member of the committee, who was very -- sat threw not only -- through not only her hearing but offered feedback to our speakers who came to the rules committee representing the house administration committee and representing the ways and means

committee. i thought that her questions and her tone was very appropriate. i think that yesterday that the two republican lead representatives, the gentlewoman from michigan, candice miller, representing the house administration committee, the gentleman from ways and means committee, mr. ryan, adequately not only spoke about, mr. speaker, a five-page bill, five pages, that we could not only understand but offer the ideas regardless of who came up with the idea, offer the idea that represents what i hope will be and believe will be more than 218 votes, and i think will be bipartisan. these ideas don't just belong to somebody and we can't share them. they belong to the american people about a way to move forward, avoiding conflict.

working together. coming up with ideas that you can express with great confidence that we believe that will work. yesterday during the hearing we also had some thoughtful conversation. i'd like to yield five minutes to the rules committee designee to chairman ryan and the budget committee, the gentleman from georgia, mr. woodall. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from georgia is recognized. mr. woodall: thank you, mr. speaker. i thank my chairman for yielding. i used to come to this podium, mr. speaker, and say i'm just a house freshman, this is what i think about things. it's been two years and one month since i arrived here, and if you told me two years ago when i arrived that we were going to be bringing five-page pieces of legislation to this floor, for up or down votes by this body, i wouldn't have believed it because i have watched the way this house has operated for over a decade. i see these bills -- mr.

speaker, you have seen them, too, these bills that folks have to carry down here on a dolly. those bills they brought him back here on the rostrum with a thump. folks can't read those bills, can't analyze those bills, can't digest those bills, but this one we have today deals with incredibly complicated topic, debt ceiling. an incredibly controversial product how it is the house and senate get their business done. yet we bring it in five pages that every member of this body has had a chance to read and digest. every member of this body. we had a hearing on it in the rules committee yesterday. and here on the floor today we are going to debate this bill not just with one committee of jurisdiction, with the ways and means committee getting time, but with two committees of jurisdiction, the ways and means committee getting time and the house administration committee getting time. you know it's unusual, mr. speaker, that we have a bill that the speaker of the house

has decided to bring forward, that the majority leader of the senate has praised the speaker for bringing forward, and the white house has said it doesn't have any objection to. that's unusual. and candidly it makes me a little suspicious. that's the way it's been around here. i think my colleagues on the rules committee would agree. so often he we get so used to the controversy that if we can't fight about something, we start to wonder what's wrong. what's wrong that he we can't fight about something. i'll tell you, mr. speaker, we are going to have that opportunity to fight. we don't have that road map yet. of course the house has laid out its budget road map year after year after year, certainly the two years i have been here the house has done its job, much to the credit of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle and passed a budget this year, rumor has it the senate is going to do the same thing. this bill certainly puts a incentive in place for both the house and senate to get their job done, but how is it we are going to tackle those tough decision that is my friend from new york, the ranking member of the rules committee, talked about, those really difficult

financial decisions, talking about those obligations we have in the future that we have absolutely no plan or means to pay for. how are we going to grapple with those decisions? i'll tell you, i wish we had gotten a big deal in the debt ceiling debate of august of 2011. we got a step in the right direction but we didn't get it all done. i wish we got it in the joint select committee. we didn't get it done. i wish we got if the fiscal cliff debate of last year. we didn't get it done. but i believe, maybe it's just a hope, mr. speaker, but i believe that if the senate has the courage to lay out its path for america, its path for america's budget in dealing with america's obligations, and if the house has the courage to allow its vision for america, its vision of dealing with america's obligations, we are going to find that opportunity to come together to make those decision that is have to happen. i hope i'm not speaking out of school, mr. speaker, but i had a

chance for some constituents in town, some business leaders on the great entrepreneur from my district, they are in town, i took them by to meet with speaker john boehner. i'll tell you i come from one of the most conservative districts of america, speaker bane certificate not always the most popular name in my district. i wanted them to hear from him directly. he said this to him. he said we have real opportunities in divided opportunity. real opportunities to come together and do the big things that matter. that only in divided government can you bring together the best ideas from both sides and put everybody's fingerprint and stamp of approval on them and do those things that really make a difference for america. and my goal is to do those things while i'm leading this, the people's house. i take him at his word, mr. speaker. and if giving this 90-day extension so that budgets can be

passed gives him that opportunity, i'll do it. a colleague of mine yesterday said, it stuck with me, he said i have had people i respect a whole lot less ask me for a whole lot more. i have great respect for our budget committee, chairman paul ryan. i have great respect for our rules committee chairman, pete sessions. i have great respect for the cheek speaker of the house. if they tell me another 90 days will give us another opportunity to do those binge things we all want to do, i'm there. i support this resolution, mr. speaker, and i hope folks will support the underlying bill. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from massachusetts. mr. mcgovern: i yield myself such time as i may consume. i want to thank my colleague from georgia. i appreciate his many, many, many, many years working here in washington, not only as a member of congress, but his many years as a congressional aide. so you have a very -- perspective here based on many, many years of service in

washington. but i would just say that if someone were to tell me that the republican leadership were to bring yet another closed rule to the floor, i'm sad to say that i respond i'm not surprised. this is a closed rule. this is a bill, whether it's five pages or 100 pages, doesn't make a difference, that did not come out of a committee process, the ways and means committee didn't hold hearings or markup. the house administration committee didn't hold hearings or markup. this did as my colleague from new york said, basically come out of your retreat and you hand a bill to all of us here and what's even more startling, is that you do not allow anybody, democrats or republicans, to amend it. completely closed. completely closed. look, i would say to my colleagues on the other side of the aisle, especially the freshmen who campaigned on the platform of openness and transparency, you vote for this rule, you're the problem. you're the problem if you vote for this rule. so i would again urge my

colleagues just on the process alone, this is not the way that we should proceed. the other thing i would remind my friends who were saying that some of this is going to produce a result, this doesn't require a result. this requires the house to once again pass its budget which, as we all know from last year's experience, represents the extreme of the extreme irreconcilable with the senate. the senate can pass whatever they want. it doesn't require a finished product. what the american people want is a finished product. not a gimmick to kick the can down the road for three months. everybody is happy we are not going to default today, but three months, that's it? i think we can do a heck of a lot better than this. at this point, mr. speaker, i'd like toe yield two minutes to the gentleman from california, the distinguished ranking member of the committee on education and the work force, mr. miller.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california is recognized for two minutes. mr. miller: i ask unanimous consent to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. miller: mr. chairman and members of the house, at the end of the day when we vote today we'll simply be voting to kick the can down the road, which every member of this house has told their constituents they no longer wanted to do, but we will can the can down the road on the question of the debt limit of the united states and whether or not the full faith and credit of the united states will stand behind the bills that he we owe the rest of the world, the businesses in our company, individuals, people's retirement plans. that's all this bill does. under some sort of camouflage, about withholding pay, what have you, they kick the can down. americans are starting to realize that their economy is starting to recover after the devastation of the housing